Heel nailing device



June 14, 1938. B BRITTQN 2,120,776

HEEL NAILING DEVICE Filed March 2, 1936 Patented June 14, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT ortica HEEL NAILING DEVICE Application March 2, 1936, Serial No. 66,519

5 Claims.

The present invention relates to devices for use in nailing heels to shoes and in particular to devices for blind nailing rubber heels to shoes. This is a companion case to an application filed concurrently herewith, now Patent No. 2,085,894, dated July 6, .1.937. The companion application is directed to a method of nailing heels to shoes.

In blind nailing heels to shoes the tread surface of the heel, except for any tread design thereon, is entirely free of holes or of guides to indicate or direct the location of the securing nails. Heels of this type are provided with washers imbedded therein between the tread and attachment surfaces and against which the head of the nail is driven to retain the heel in place. These washers are necessarily very accurately located. Consequently, it becomes essential that the nails be equally accurately directed in order that they shall pass through the holes in the washers.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a heel ring and guide plate for use in connection with such heels and that will direct the nails to the proper position in the heel.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means for reducing the distance between the tread surface and the washer temporarily during the driving of the nails.

It is a further object to provide a guide that will redirect any nail that has deilected from proper alignment.

It is a further object to provide such a guide in combination with a holder for the heel com* monly known as a heel ring.

It is a further object to provide a guide of such design that after its use, the hole in the heel pierced by the nail, will at least substantially close.

Further objects will appear from the following specications and the drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a plan view of a heel ring with the guide thereon and a heel in place.

Fig. 2 is a right edge view of the heel ring and guide.

Fig. 3 is a front end View of the heel ring and guide.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 'I is a sectional View of a modification.

In the drawing, a heel ring l0 is shown having flanges Il thereon by means of which it is supported in the nailing machine.

By means of a cut-out portion l2 in one of the (Cil. 1-32) anges Il thereof, it is accurately located and maintained in the nailing machine. The heel ring is cut through with an opening i3 that corresponds with the peripheral contour of the heel to be nailed. The heel iits very accurately in this cut-out i3 with a smooth sliding fit between it and the walls of the heel ring. For reasons to be explained, the depth of the heel ring ad jacent this cut-out i3 is such that the heel located therein projects only a short distance above the top surface thereof. In other words, the heel ring is of a substantial depth. The ring is also provided with a beveled portion l5 to accommodate for the shank of the shoe during the operation of applying the heel.

The heel shown at i6 is provided with a plurality of washers ll', it, i9 and others imbedded therein and spaced from thc attachment surface thereof, the attachment surface being shown at 29. A hole 2l extends from the attachment surface down to the hole in the washer lil. It is desirable also to have a hole 22 extend from the hole in the washer down toward the tread surface 23 of the heel and terminate a short distance therefrom. This hole 22 is very small and, as will be shown in the use of the inventionl receives the nail as it is driven.

In forming the heel with the washers in it, ordinarily the back washer l1 is located rst and is carefully positioned relative to the back edge of the heel. Then the remaining washers are spaced at suitable distances from the washer I1 and from each other. The spacing of the several washers is called spread.

In order to direct nails, supplied by the nailing machine, properly through the tread surface 23 of the heel, a guide plate 25 is provided. This guide plate is secured in proper location onto the heel ring by means of screws 26, the guide plate fitting in an inset cut or groove 21. The screws 26 and the cut-out portion 21 serve to locate the guide plate 25 properly relative to the heel cutout i3 of the heel ring.

Upstanding from the top surface of this guide plate and projecting into the cut-out i3 are nipples 28 that follow the general shape of the frustum of a cone although the walls may be somewhat rounded. Guide holes 29 extend through the nipples 28 and terminate in flared openings 3l! in the bottom surface of the guide plate 25. These nipples Ztl are so spaced when the plate 25 is secured in position on the heel ring lll as to correspond accurately with the location of the washers in a heel fitted into the Cut-Out I3. As is shown in Fig. 7, the nipples 23 may be made separately from the guide plate, and secured thereto by screws or the like. By this modification, the nipples may easily be replaced, or may be made of material different from that of the guide plate 25.

The operation of the device is as follows:

The heel ring with the guide plate thereon, is inserted into the ring holder of a nailing device and secured therein by engagement of the flanges II and the slot I2. When thus located, the guide plate 25 has its bottom face toward the die block.

A heel, such as a rubber heel, is placed within I the cutout I3 and as previously stated, projects a short distance above the top thereof. It will be understood that the several washers Il, I8, I9, etc. will then be located directly over the several nipples with the holes 22 extending in rather close proximity to the upper terminals of the holes 29. The shoe to be heeled is then brought down against the attaching surface 20 of the heel and force is applied to this shoe compressing it against the heel. The shoe thus pressed against the heel is, as is usual in the art, provided with a heel base, shown at B in Fig. 5. This heel base extends outwardly beyond the limits of the heel, and beyond the edges 0f the cut-out I3. Consequently, when the pressure is applied, the heel base forces the elastic heel down so that it is stretched over the nipples 28, and the undeformed portion of the tread surface is brought into close proximity to the upper surface of the guide plate 25. However, this pressure is limited, since the heel base B, after a short travel, strikes the edges of the heel ring I0, and its movement arrested. By this limiting of the preliminary pressure, excess squeezing and straining of the heel is prevented. Also, by having a thick heel ring, the distortion of the heel produced by this compression is entirely controlled, so that it cannot extend laterally of the heel. Lateral distortion tends to displace the washers, and destroy the accuracy of their spread.

In this compression of the heel over the nipples, it is desirable that they do not penetrate the tread surface. In the stretching, the tendency of the heel material is to flow radially and downwardly around the outer surfaces of the nipples 28, these last acting with conical Wedge effect. This action results in stretching the rubber between the top of the nippl-es and the bottom of holes 22, to bring the nipples considerably closer to the said holes and closer to the holes in the washers. It is probable that the lower part of each hole is spread somewhat about the top surface of the nipple.

With the parts thus positioned, the nails are driven. In the passage of the nails, th-e points of any misaligned ones first strike the flared portions 30 and are properly directed into the smaller holes Z. These last holes give the nails the proper direction into the tread surface of the heel. The nails penetrate the heel through the stretched and reduced portions between the tops of the nipples and the holes 22. When the nails strike the holes 22, they will be held in the proper direction of travel, since they nd less resistance in following the direction of the holes than in penetrating the walls thereof. By this means, the nails are brought to and through the openings in the washers and subsequently are driven into the shoe. The shoe is then removed with the heel attached thereto. When the heel leaves the plate, the stretching produced by the nipples 28 is relieved. Since the nails penetrate a portion of the heel that is stretched radially from the point of penetration, as soon as the stretching forces are removed, that portion will immediately return to its original shape and, in so doing, will at least substantially close the openings pierced by the nails.

As a result of the use of this guide, blind nailing is made practical. No substantial scars are left on the tread surface of the heel, so that the tread design thereof Will not be marred. The number of rejected heels resulting from improper nailing is vastly reduced.

It will be understood that this heel ring and guide may be used with other heels than the one shown. While it is desirable for best results that the holes 22 be provided, they are not essential to attaining superior results by the use of the guide.

Further, the nipples may be omitted from the guide plate, and that plate used with only chamfered holes 3Q and guide holes 29 extending to the top surface thereof. This arrangement produces good results, much superior to any previously obtained, but not as good as those obtained with the nipples present.

What is claimed is:

l. In a heel device, means for locating a heel having washers therein and spaced from the tread surface thereof, a guide device associated with the locating means, said guide device having means thereon to reduce the distance from the washers to the tread surface portions therebeneath when the heel is located against the same, said last-named means having holes therein to receive and direct nails being driven into the heel and through the washers.

2. In a heel device, a heel ring for locating and holding an elastic heel to be nailed to a shoe, said heel having washers imbedded therein at spaced intervals, a guide plate secured to the heel ring, upstanding nipples on said plate adapted to deform the heel at the tread surface beneath. the Washers when the same is pressed against the plate to permit the tread surface to rest squarely thereagainst, and by said deformation to reduce the distance to be penetrated by the nails, said nipples having holes therethrough to receive the nails and direct them toward the washers.

3. A guide plate for use in nailing elastic heels having washers imbedded therein and spaced from the tread surface thereof, nipples upstanding from and xed to one surface of the plate, the wall of each of said nipples converging as it progresses out from said surface to provide a substantially sharp reduced head, whereby when the heel is pressed against the nipples it will be deformed with spreading wedge-like actions that reduce the distance between the nipple displaced portions of the tread surface and the washers, and said nipples having holes extending therethrough and through said plate to receive and direct nails into the heel toward said washers.

4. A device for nailing heels including a heel ring, said heel ring having a cut-out therein to receive and locate the heel in said ring, and closure means extending over the bottom of said cut-out, said means having guides upstanding from the surface thereof and against and over which guides the heel is adapted to be compressed, the walls of the heel ring adjacent the cut-out being of such thickness relative to the heel thickness that when the heel is uncompressed it will extend above them, and such that when the heel is compressed to their thickness, it will be forced over the guides without lateral distortion, and the unstretched surface thereof will extend approximately to the surface of said means having said guides upstanding therefrom.

5. In a device of the kind described, a heel ring having a cutout portion therethrough to receive and locate a heel, a groove in one surface of said heel ring, a fastening means guide plate tting within said groove, means detachably securing said plate in said groove, and predeterminately spaced nipples having holes therethrough immovably secured to said plate, each of said nipples terminating in a relatively sharp head.

GLENN B. BRITTON. 

